Peter Dutton says Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull no longer has the majority - and he will mount a new challenge.
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"A few minutes ago I spoke with Malcolm Turnbull to advise him I believed the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership," Mr Dutton tweeted.
"Accordingly, I asked him to convene a party room meeting at which I would challenge for the leadership of the Parliamentary Liberal Party."
However Mr Turnbull has reportedly refused to call a leadership ballot until Mr Dutton gets a majority of MPs to sign a petition demanding a meeting - publically declaring they stand against Mr Turnbull.
Mr Turnbull successfully fought off a challenge from Mr Dutton on Tuesday, however it left his leadership weakened.
Dozens of his supporters abandoned him for the Home Affairs Minister, and on Wednesday, The AM Show host Duncan Garner described Mr Turnbull as a "dead man walking".
Channel 7 political reporter Alex Hart says Mr Dutton is "hell bent on getting his hands on the top job" and will be confident of getting the votes he needs to overthrow Mr Turnbull.
If successful, it will make Mr Dutton the seventh Australian prime minister in 11 years.
"He really only needs seven more votes to switch to his side, and given this was a surprise ballot that the Prime Minister sprung upon him yesterday, to almost win that without really preparing much of the ground work before the vote is a pretty impressive effort," he says.
"I'm sure he is confident of getting the numbers he needs in the next couple of days to mount a challenge."
Newshub.
